5 Steps to Planning Your Next Home Addition

Are you planning on building your home additions but have no idea how and where to start?

No worries because this article offers the five manageable steps that will serve as your guide on turning that visual design into reality.

Most of the people who thought of this project have various reasons. Some of them expect a new family member to live with them. Maybe the budget is now enough to build that dream master bedroom. Or maybe a family member wants to work with a bigger kitchen to expand his business. Whatever your reason is for wanting to build a home addition, an additional space is definitely needed. But how will you be able to begin setting up the much-desired home addition?

Below are the five simple steps that will serve as your guide for compiling your thoughts or ideas and budget identification to personnel selection. If you know how to take them one step at a time, this task may not be that overwhelming.

And the best way to start is to create a wish list or a compilation of the things that will influence or shape the much-wanted design. A list also helps you be more organized, helps you identify your priorities, helps you make changes and helps you communicate your wants and needs with the prospective contractors or designers.

Know the key objectives. You can begin your list with what problems you want to solve or the things you want the project to achieve. Obviously, you need ample space if you are planning a home addition. Another goal is probably to boost storage capacity or to improve the traffic-flow pattern of your home. Maybe you probably need more area for entertaining guests or you need a more convenient indoor-outdoor access for various events.

Get inspired. Allow yourself to daydream, if that’s a way for you to be more focus on identifying your wants and needs. You can fill your scrapbook with plans and images from your preferred home-design magazines. Other than photos, you can also look for the buying guide sections to know where and how to purchase the materials or products that caught your interest. And if you are not a fan of reading materials, why not watch TV shows that feature redecorating or remodeling projects.

Opt for some savvy splurges. Know what matters to you most. Is it your kitchen, the fireplace, or your study area? In case the feature appears costly, you don’t have to rule it out immediately. You have the option to splurge on some important items and save elsewhere.

Calculate your available finances. First, you need to estimate the total cost of your project. Will you be needing a financial leverage to cover the expenses? Will it require you to apply for a home improvement loan? Do you have savings or other assets that can easily be liquidated?

You can also review your monthly payments or consider your credit rating. And if you have do-it-yourself skills that will be of use to the project, then apply it. These are just some of the many ways, so take your time to identify them.

Hire the experts. The type and number of people you need to build your home or kitchen remodeling may depend on the scope and scale of your project. Even it is just for a small addition, a draftsperson or designer is still needed to help you prepare one or more drawings or sketches that will be used for a building permit application and others.

For a bigger project, you’ll be needing the assistance of an architect who will help you come up with the overall design. A professional like him can provide you with an efficient layout that can be merged with the design of your current house. And to supervise the construction, you need to hire a general contractor.

It’s true that the process of planning and building home additions requires a lot of time and money. Therefore, if everything or most of it is done properly, then it’s all worth it.